Game apparatus.



G. A. MILLER. GAME APPARATUS.

APPLIoATIoN FILED 1113.23, 19115.l

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Eig-(Islaam r Colonel' i IINITEI) STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1906.

Application filed February 23,1905. Serial No. 246,923.

I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES ADAM MIL- LER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a game apparatus designed to embody as near as may be the tactics and strategy used in battle.

The object of my invention is the production of a scientific game pertaining to the employment and maneuvering of troops arrayed against each other in battle, wherein the opposing forces are moved forward against each other and in which movable pieces or men of different shapes and appearances are associated with the board, on which is laid off two opposing fields.

Further objects are to separate the two fields by a line of battle, to divide the surface of the board into playing-spaces, odd in number in one direction and even in number in the other direction, to provide danger-spaces,

preferably arranged in parallel lines in a diagonal direction, which I will term sharpshooters lines, and to provide for each of the opposing forces privates having a certain value 1n count and oflicers of increasing rank having a correspondingly increasing value in count.

Still further objects are to confine the "privates and the oflicers to movement within a certain range to be hereinafter described and to provide sharpshooters having the greatest range of movement, but being confined in movement along the sharp shooters line.

This invention is susceptible to many changes in form, outline, and arrangement of the board and in form, size, appearance, and location of the men or pieces with reference to each other.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is plan of the game-board. Figs. 2 to 8 represent the various men or pieces associated with the game-board, the men of different rank being of different appearance and of different size as well, if so desired; but the adherence to the shapes shown herein is not necessary, as any other shapes may be used so long as the men of different rank have a different appearance to enable the players to readily distinguish the men of one rankfrorn 5 those of another.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown one embodiment of my invention, in which the numeral designates the gameboard, having its surface laid off in circular playing-spaces 11, connected by directionines 12, crossing each other between the spaces. This simply illustrates the preferred arrangement of game-board, but, if desired, the board maybe laid off in squares, octagonal spaces, or in any other design to suit the makers fancy.

The playing-spaces are arranged in odd numbers in one direction to give the heads of the opposing sets or forces a central position and 1n even numbers in the opposite direction to allow the sets or forces equal size fields for the maneuvering of the men or pieces, sai-d fields lying on opposite sides of a center line 13, which I term the line of battle, and across which it is intended the opposing sets or forces, or as many of the men or pieces thereof as can, shall be moved. The playing-spaces are preferably one hundred and ten in number-eleven in one direction and ten in the other direction-but I do not wish to limit this patent to such number or arrangement. The spaces are preferably of two colors, arranged alternately in diagonal lines, as shown.

The danger-spaces are arranged in diagonal lines extending from the second right-hand space of the first transverse row of each iield to the right-hand corner of the opposite field, and extending centrally through the dangerspaces are parallel lines 14, designated sharpshooters lines.

Themen or pieces employed in this game, with their designatingnumerals, are privates 15, to be placed on the spaces 16; sharpshooters7 17, to be placed on the spaces 18 lieutenants 19, to be placed on the spaces 20; captains 21, to be placed on the spaces 22; colonels 23, to be placed on the spaces 24; brigadier-generals 25, to be placed on the spaces 26, and lieutenantgenerals 27, to be placed on the spaces 28, this being the location of the men when starting the game. It is apparent from the foregoing that the spaces in the first `row of each field are unoccupied except the one space in each of said rows occupied by a sharpshooter and that the end spaces of the intermediate rows are also unoccupied, as well as the spaces adjacent the line of. battle. This arrangement permits of movement forward and laterally and also allows sufficient space for retreating.

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v signs shown in Figs 2 to 8 are simply for illustrative purposes.

It is not my intention to limit myself to locating the men or pieces on the spaces designated, as this may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention, the arrangement of the various pieces shown with respect to each other being merely for illustration and showing one of many ways in which the pieces can be placed in starting the game in order to move them to good advantage and by means of which arrangement the officers may be protected by the privates.

Although I have chosen only a few oflicers of the many appointed in an army, I desire it to be understood that the game can be extended to include other officers, or it may be simplified by employing a lesser number of officers, as may be desired 3 but in any event each of the men or pieces associated with the .board (with the exception of the pieces designated sharpshooters) shall have a certain value or count by means of which the winner of the game is determined. This count or value of the several men or pieces shall increase with their rank, and the increased value given the successively-ranking ofiicers may be equal or unequal, as may be desired. I have found, however, that by giving the pieces designated privates one point, the pieces designated lieutenants three points, and then doubling the count or value of the successively-ranking men or pieces over the next lower men or pieces a very interesting game is produced. It is therefore provided that the pieces designated captains shall have a value of six points, the pieces designated colonels7 twelve points, the pieces designated brigadiergenerals twenty-four points, and the pieces designated lieutenant-generals forty-eight points.

The moves of the pieces or men and the manner of playing the game I will now describe. The pieces designated privates can only be moved diagonally in any direction one space, and when a space onto which a piece so designated can be.y moved is occupied by a piece of the opposing force said opposing piece is captured and removed from the board. The pieces designated lieutenants, captains, and colonels can be moved in any direction within a range of two spaces and can take an opposing piece on being moved one or two spaces in any direction. The pieces designated brigadier-generals and lieutenant-generals can be moved in any direction within a range of three spaces and can capture a piece of the opposing force onibeing moved one, two, or three spaces in any direction. Each of the pieces designated sharpshooters shall have a range of movement the full length of the sharpshooters line on which it is stationed and can capture any piece on said line designated as an ofiicer7 of the opposing force. When such sharpshooter piece is moved along the sharpshooters line to capture an officer of the opposing force, it cannot be returned to its designated space until the opponent has taken his move, after which the piece designated sharpshooter7 may be returned to its proper space, or any other piece may be moved advantageously; but until the piece designated sharpshooter is returned to its proper space at the end of the sharpshooters line the opposing pieces, designated oiiicers, can safelyland or remain on said sharpshooters line unless by a proper move of any othe opposing piece such officer can be capture In playing the game it is often very advantageous to and an officer upon the sharpshooters line of the opposing force and a strategic point covered thereby. For example, when the piece of one force designated shar shooter has been moved along its line o movement to capture an oflicer of the opposing force opportunity is given to land another ofiicer on said sharpshooters line of movement during the time the said sharpshooter is stationed out of its proper space. Assuming said oflicer to be a captain having a value of six points, said sharpshooter may then be returned to its proper station with a view of taking the captain on its next move. Meanwhile a piece of the opposing force, designated lieutenant, may by being moved on said sharpshooters line be in position to capture an oflicer of twice, four, or eight times the value of the captain on said sharpshooters line, and as the player has directed his full attention to capturing the captain in preference to the lieutenant on said sharpshooters line he may easily overlook the point of vantage the lieutenant holds. I-Ie therefore takes the captain, which has a greater value in points than the lieutenant, after which the lieutenant may be moved to capture a higher officer-say, lfor example, a piece designated brigadier-general, having a value of twenty-four points. Thus by permitting opponent to capture a piece having a value of six points a gain of eighteen points is acquired 1n capturing a piece having a value of twenty-four points. These points, however, do not enter into the count of the game, but merely serve to diminish oponents chances of winnin@V the ame on thel final count.

Considerable skill can be displayed inthe manipulation of the various pieces, and by reason of dividing the same into classes having three different ranges of moves the higher oflicers can generally with skilful moves be protected by lower ranking oflicers or by privates, and as the pieces designated sharpshooters cannot be captured and have no ICO ICS

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value in points they are at times of very great importance.

Although the game may be terminated in various ways and the rules and moves modified, I find the above-described moves to be such as will permit the display of considerable skill, and in connection with such moves I have found a very interesting termination for the game to be as follows: The party landing all his pieces remaining on the board on opponents field may call the game. The value ofl the pieces then on both fields shall be determined, and the partys pieces or men aggregating the highest number of points on his opponents field shall be the winner. It is therefore apparent that at times it is dev sirable for one party to prevent the termination of a game, particularly when his opponent has a greater number of points on said partys field than the aggregate value or count of said partys pieces and when said opponent has not been able to move all his pieces over the line of battle. When such conditions exist, the party desiring to prevent the termination of the game plays to prevent his opponent crossing the line of battle with all of his pieces, and said party must also play to capture opponents pieces, so as to diminish the aggregate value of the saine until less than the aggregate value of his pieces, after which his efforts shall be directed to land his entire force on opponents field, and his opponent shall then direct his efforts to prevent such action and also to capture a sufficient num-r ber of pieces of said party, so as to diminish the aggregate value of the latters pieces. It is therefore apparent that each of the parties playing shall try to prevent the termination of the game so long as the aggregate value of their pieces is less than opponents and must continue to battle until advantage is obtained in number of points and opponents field is in possession of his entire remaining force irrespective of the number of pieces constituting his force.

It is to be noted that a large number of privates and officers of lower rank than brigadier-general-say, for example, five privates, two lieutenants, two captains, and two colonels-aggregating forty-seven points would not be sufficient to win a game in which the lieutenant-general of the opposing force was the one remaining man or piece in said force, and all efforts on one side would necessarily be directed to capture said lieutenant-general and on the other side to land said lieutenant-general safely on opponents field, when the gaine would terminate with forty-eight points to forty-seven points, the latter being the aggregate value ofthe officers and privates on opponents field.

Alterations in the board can be made and the moves and manner of terminating the game changed without departing from the general idea given and without departing from the principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A game apparatus comprising a gameboard having its surface divided into playingspaces, said spaces divided into two fields separated by a center line, and parallel lines passing through the playing-spaces diagonally across the board.

2. A gaine-board having its surface laid off in circular playingspaces connected by crossed lines between the spaces, said spaces divided into two fields separated by a center y line.

3. A game-board having its surface laid off in circular playing-spaces, said spaces di vided into two fields separated by,a center line, and game-pieces of different forms adapted to be used in connection with the board.

4. A game-board having its surface laid off in circular playing-spaces arranged in two fields separated by a center line, parallel lines passing centrally through adjacent playingspaces and extending diagonally across the board, and game-pieces adapted to be used in connection with the board.

5. A game apparatus com rising a gameboard having its surface divi ed into playingspaces constituting two fields separated by a center line, means for distinguishing two parallel diagonal series of spaces, and movable pieces associatedwith the board, said pieces being of different shapes.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES ADAM MILLER.

Witnesses:

EMIL NEUHART, MAY F. SEwEnT.

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